ACT-Wazalendo presidential candidate Luhaga Mpina, a former Kisesa MP, has delivered a scathing attack on the ruling party, saying that it no longer represents the mass of the people.

Breaking his silence on why he left CCM to join the opposition, he told a well-attended press  conference at party offices yesterday that CCM had ’strayed’ from its founding ideals, and was thus enabling systemic corruption and suppressing internal dissent.

All of this compelled him to leave the party that he had served for decades, he stated, declaring that CCM is broken beyond repair. "It no longer represents the people. It no longer fights for the poor. What exists today is a party of the privileged few — captured by elites and disconnected from the daily struggles of ordinary Tanzanians," the former parliamentarian affirmed.

He was insistent that CCM has “drifted dangerously far” from the vision of its founders, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, in “abandoning its mission of uplifting the poor and creating a just society.”

"Today’s CCM is no longer the party of farmers and workers. It is a haven for the corrupt, a machine for personal gain and a betrayal of the Arusha Declaration," he emphatically stated, claiming that he made every effort to push for reforms from within.

This was done by raising tough questions in the legislature, challenging inefficiency and exposing corruption, but this effort was met with fierce resistance, he said, insisting that he did not fail.

“Reforming CCM is impossible. The current leadership doesn’t want change; instead of fighting corruption they targeted those of us who dared to speak the truth," he said, recalling facing false accusations, character attacks, political isolation and even public threats to his life.

This was done with little or no action from the party or state institutions, while the final straw was the chaotic and politically manipulated nomination process for the 2025 elections, he stated, describing it as deeply flawed, riddled with favoritism, constitutional breaches and outright suppression of accountability voices.

Listing key irregularities, he said that the president’s candidacy was announced outside constitutional procedures, while rule changes benefited only a few insiders, like the removal of 28 reform-minded MPs from the nomination list.

The nomination of individuals facing serious corruption allegations was another pivotal issue in his departure, he stated, stressing that party leadership opposition to the MPs’ positions wasn’t just political maneuvering.

"It was a deliberate plan to weaken Parliament, silence critics and entrench a leadership structure that protects a few at the expense of the majority," he declared, asserting that  moving to ACT-Wazalendo was guided by the party's clear ideological stance, commitment to transparency and “unwavering focus on people-centred development.”

"ACT-Wazalendo is the only party today that lives up to the vision of Mwalimu Nyerere — not just in rhetoric, but in action," he said. "It stands for justice, equality, good governance and protection of our national resources," he emphasized.

He offered reassurance and renewed commitment to his formal constituents in Kisesa and the wider Tanzanian public saying "I may have left CCM, but I have not left the people.” “I remain your servant. I am more determined than ever to fight for truth, justice, and development — now through a party that truly believes in those values," he added.